The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Pittosporum patulum

Etymology

Pittosporum: pitch seed

Common Name(s)

Pitpat

Current Conservation Status

2018 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
2009 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered

Qualifiers

2012 - CD, RF, Sp
2009 - CD, RF, Sp

Authority

Pittosporum patulum Hook.f.

Family

Pittosporaceae

Brief Description

Small tree (tree sized individuals very rare) bearing brownish green leathery leaves that are deeply lobed on juveniles but become smooth as plant ages inhabiting South island mountain valleys. Flowers reddish, on long stalks. Fruit a hard capsule, splitting into two to show the black seeds in a orange pith.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PITPAT

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic to South Island, found in north-west Nelson, and from eastern Nelson south to the head of Lake Hawea.

Habitat

This is a species of subalpine scrub, and canopy gaps in mountain beech forest. It often occurs in sites that have undergone disturbance (e.g., avalanche chutes, fire induced scrub, and river margins), although it is not always required for regeneration. Strongholds of adults occur in subalpine scrub that are recruiting without disturbance, and bluffs in beech forest are similarly little-disturbed.

Features

Gynodioecious tree up to 5 m tall. Trunk of juvenile and sub adults slender, becoming stouter in adults. Bark firm, pale-brown to grey-brown. Branches ascending to spreading, in juveniles absent or scarce until sub adult stage, becoming more frequent in plants bearing mature foliage; in either case branchlets marked by scars from fallen leaves. Shoots, emergent foliage and peduncles distinctly though sparsely puberulent; hairs fulvous. Leaves coriaceous, dark brown-green, chocolate-brown to dark-green, often blemished along margins with chocolate. Juvenile leaves erecto patent, ascending, 30-60 x 5-8 mm, linear, lamina coarsely toothed, very rarely pinnatifid; leaves of sub adults similar but wider, with margins less deeply toothed, and never pinnatifid; adult foliage crowded toward branchlet ends; petioles stout, 5-15 mm long, lamina 40-50 x 10-20 mm, oblanceolate, narrow-obovate to obovate, rarely elliptic, margins entire, toothed or with fine teeth in upper third, base attenuate, apex obtuse to subacute. Flowers in distinct, terminal, 4-8-10-flowered umbels. Pedicels gracile, 10-20 mm long. Flowers night-fragrant. Sepals 5, 3-6 mm long, narrow-ovate, acute, grey-green pilose hairy, becoming glabrescent. Petals 5, 6-8 mm, broadly lanceolate, apex obtuse to sub acute, recurving almost to base at anthesis, dark-red, pink, very rarely yellow. Male flowers with 5 functional stamens, anthers yellow, stigma rudimentary, rarely functional. Female flowers with 5 rudimentary stamens (often reduced to staminodes), stigma globose, functional. Capsules subglobose, 10 mm diameter, 2-valved, valves initially green, glabrescent, maturing grey-black to charcoal, woody. Mucilage dark orange to red. Seeds 5-8, irregular globose, black, surface glossy.

Similar Taxa

Juvenile plants of Pittosporum patulum could be confused with juvenile pokaka (Elaeocarpus hookerianus Raoul) and Aristotelia fruticosa Hook.f. Species from which P. patulum juvenile plants can be distinguished by their tall slender, scarcely branching growth form (divaricating in pokaka and Aristotelia fruticosa), and dark brown-green to chocolate brown, deeply toothed, linear leaves (variable in shape and colour in pokaka and Aristotelia fruticosa). Adult plants are very distinctive and could not easily be confused with anything else.

Flowering

Late spring - mid summer

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,Yellow

Fruiting

no information

Propagation Technique

Grows readily from cuttings and fresh seed, although sometimes seed germination can vary in this species from 1-3 years. An excellent specimen tree. Although it does well in a range of conditions itprefers a fertile, moist soil.

Threats

Pittosporum patulum is palatable. Ungulates eat juvenile foliage, and possums eat both the juvenile and adult foliage and flowers. Rodents predate seed in litter beneath adult trees, and insect browse can deform new growth. Natural disturbance has eliminated some populations.

Chromosome No.

2n = 24

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 19 Dec 2014